<p>Ok, looking more at the Gates right now. thx!</p>
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<p>None of these schools promise to meet full financial need so financially they may end up being out of reach for this student. Don’t forget to look at the community colleges as most of them have guaranteed articulation agreements.</p>
<p>Please have her check out venturescholar.org. Thiis group seeks underrepresented and first generation students. Certain schools offer application waivers and lots of good application information in one place. It also seemed to lead to some very interesting mail, both snail and email from definite reach schools, that expressed interest. Also search the Hispanic forums here as there is great info there and plenty of it. Lots of schools have diversity days and first generation visits. Schools recruit vigorously first generation, so please don’t forget to mention that. And check the schools websites searching for terms like first generation, diversity days, and Latino.</p>
<p>What is wrong with community college? She is a B average student without many advance courses under her belt. She is poor. She will get atleast 5,500 in subsidized loans which can cover tuition for community college. She can work and cover any other charges. This is a no brainer. Honestly, unless she gets a really good score on the SAT/ACT I don’t see her doing much better.</p>
<p>Don’t forget to look at the community colleges as most of them have guaranteed articulation agreements. </p>
<p>Yes, I mentioned in last post that her back up was Northern VA Community College which has the Pathways program --guaranteed admission into George Mason after two yrs. cc. The thing is, her parents would prefer cc, but the girl is really wanting to go away to college, and they said they’d support that decision if she got in. That’s why that would be a back up plan and not her first choice–hoping for a 4 year college experience. </p>
<p>I understand seeing it as a “no brainer” and aiming for cc, but I think it’s a good personality trait to at least aim high, and then if it doesn’t work, then you make what ever outcome work, and make the best of it. I admire her wanting to go to college at all, and we have to remember that she will be the first to do it in her family. That shows a tremendous amount of ambition when no one has been expecting that of her.</p>
<p>But, yikes! Thanks for taking the time to look at the privates and the lack of meeting full need-based aid :(. Ok, onto search for others. I know that Happymom1 has posted some links about schools that do somewhere. Will see what i can dig up.</p>
<p>@Jersey, thanks, this looks like a great lead! Looking into this one. Upward bound was closed already (someone posted this one yesterday). Will be focusing on this and Gates tomorrow…when kids are at camps…thx!</p>
<p>The NOVA Pathway to the Baccalaureate program ([Program</a> Profiles](<a href=“http://commweb.fcps.edu/programprofile/overview.cfm?programID=151]Program”>http://commweb.fcps.edu/programprofile/overview.cfm?programID=151)) is excellent–my S was in it. The counselor provides guidance to get you prepared for college, but you’re not required to go to NOVA.</p>
<p>I’m assuming the girl is in Fairfax County. Check out College Access Fairfax (<a href=“http://collegeaccessfairfax.org/[/url]”>http://collegeaccessfairfax.org/</a>).</p>
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<p>Super Saturday offers one-on-one assistance with the FAFSA. Students and parents bring identification information, W-2 forms, and tax return documents to Super Saturday and complete the FAFSA online there.</p>
<p>The University of Mary Washington has a Student Transition Program ([Student</a> Transition Program](<a href=“http://www.umw.edu/stp/default.php]Student”>http://www.umw.edu/stp/default.php)):</p>
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<p>Stevensmama, I had no idea that she could work with Pathways, but not be obligated to attend NOVA (if she gets in to UMW, GW, CNU, particularly as a 1st yr). Although that’s not her first choice, I understand that it may be the end result. U. of Mary Washington would be IDEAL for her too. She’s actually in Arlington and I know exactly who I need to contact now at her school. thanks! Will also look into the venurescholarlink. Just looking at every option right now and trying to get her off to a great start by fall. I can’t do it all (I have 4 kids of my own and need to start getting my oldest son ready to send to 1st yr. at UVa, visit colleges with my rising junior daughter, etc.), but I want to at least send this girl in the right direction and help her with her applications and the SAT prep. I may even pay for the prep course (working on my husband :).</p>
<p>I wish she had test scores. Please encourage her to try both the SAT and ACT. Also, depending on her scores, consider some of the women’s colleges. Some of them do quite a good job with need and diversity.</p>
<p>I am Catholic and grew up in a poor community in a rural setting of the southwest. I went to Notre Dame, which is really expensive. Here is my advice.<br>
- Go to community college and get a degree in demand that pays good money to start such as MRI Tech, medical billing, nursing, etc. AA degrees are quick and inexpensive. A B student can get in.
- After the AA degree is earned, the student can work and be independent with an apartment and perhaps even a car. While working with the AA degree, the student can go on and earn a bachelor’s degree at the local university.
- After a few years, the bachelor’s degree will be earned while earning work experience as well. Those multiple factors will look great on an application for graduate school or professional school (i.e. MBA, Master’s, PhD, PharmD, etc). </p>
<p>A lot of HS students probably avoid AA degrees because they think it’s not prestigious, especially if they are aiming for elite universities like Harvard, MIT, Georgetown, Stanford, Texas, Michigan, etc. But to start with an AA to get a good job really helps the student and the parents. Then the work experience is a viable asset to get a graduate degree from an elite university. Plus graduate students get far more financial aid. A PhD fellowship can pay 20k per year with a tuition waiver. Such aid doesn’t normally exist at the undergraduate level. Or some graduate students continue to work at a high salary while earning a master’s, MBA, etc.</p>
<p>A low-income Latina (with a 3.4 - that’s NOT a B student) with decent SATs and a story to tell might be a great candidate for Mount Holyoke, which will meet 100% of need.</p>
<p>I would recommend getting a copy of Loren Pope’s book “Colleges that Change Lives.” I am helping a student of color, son of a work friend, explore colleges and I think smaller, liberal arts colleges provide an environment with much potential for personal and intellectual growth for all students - and very much so for 1st generation college students. Reviewing that book just today, Emory and Henry in southwestern Virginia, gets extremely positive reviews for both its strong academics and strong support for students with diverse backgrounds. Many of the liberal arts colleges in Pope’s book do offer aid for merit/diversity, which this student might very well be eligible for. Another gem is Earlham - though a bit remote for OP’s student, in central Indiana. It’s a Quaker liberal arts college extremely well-respected by graduate schools and employers alike and helps its students become leaders in every sense of the word. The daughters of friends who attended there are truly impressive people, and Earlham molded them into who they are. And yes, again, merit aid.</p>
<p>I too attended Notre Dame like the previous poster and think that for someone like me who was a 1st generation student a liberal arts college would have been a better choice had I only known the difference between a university and a liberal arts college when I applied. Rather than CC, look into some of the schools Pope recommends because of their quality and the possibility of merit aid.</p>